CHAPTER 285: 285: WHAT, GOD OF BLOOD?!

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Batbat licked his lips. "You taste like spicy phoenix and molten magma. I blacked out. I regret nothing."

Kai gripped his dagger tighter. "You’ve got three seconds before I staple your wings together and launch you into orbit."

Batbat hiccupped. "Fair enough. But how will you manage that? With that tiny power you can’t even cut one of my fur. Maybe in one thousand years you can manage that. I will wait for that. Or maybe I can promise to help you with something for the blood I ate."

Before Kai could reply, the air exploded. Not with sound but with energy.

The bat opened its tiny mouth wide, and a spiral of red light burst into the sky. It twisted into unknown runes, then cracked the clouds apart like a divine call. Crimson lightning struck the ground around them. The grass hissed. The trees bent backward. The core on the ground shaking in fear like a living thing.

Kai flinched. The bond formed. Not just a connection, but a bridge. Soul to soul. Blood to blood. And in that moment, Kai heard the voice.

Not through air. Not through vibration. But directly into the space where thought and instinct met.

It was smooth. It was measured. It was amusing.

"Hello, Kai. Nice to meet you. I am the God of Blood. You may call me... DAWN WALKER."

Kai exhaled sharply. "I assume you’re the one hiding behind this flying snack machine?"

"Indeed. He is my familiar. Unfortunately cursed with a mouth and no volume control."

"Hey!" Batbat barked. "I am full of personality! And snacks. But mostly personality!"

Dawn Walker’s voice continued, unbothered. "I did not expect our paths to cross so soon. But you are more than you realize, Kai. You hold the Will of something terrifying. Even if you do not yet understand what that means. One day we are supposed to meet in a different place. But fate has made it faster. Although I can’t help you or tell you more now. But when you come to this place where I reside. I will look after you."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "You said it like you can see the future or something. What does it mean? What will I hold?"

"It means the rules no longer apply to you. That your path is not dictated by prophecy, lineage, or the fate weaving threads that bind most creatures. You can reject it. Create new ones. Rewrite laws of essence devouring itself. But the end results won’t change."

Kai was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "That sounds like something a scam god would say."

"Reasonable," said the god. "But I have proof."

Batbat burped and held up another Nine Star rank core. "See this? He snagged it from a Void Abomination just for fun. It took five seconds. I watched."

Kai gave him a flat stare. "And you expect me to help you why?"

"Because only you can help him get back. And the thing chasing you or will chase you soon... I can hold it back for you until you are strong enough to face it."

The fire dimmed. Even the mist stilled. Dawn Walker’s voice dropped in tone.

"There is a thing coming. One that does not want power. It wants endings. It eats concepts. Names. Purpose. When it touches a world, it does not destroy it. It unravels its meaning. You are the hope of this world. If it’s not on its way then it will come sooner or later."

Kai’s claws twitched. "You’re saying something is after me?"

"No. I am saying something is after everything. You just happen to be in its path. Only the chosen one can defeat it. It is a trail everyone needs to face before they become a god. It has no fixed time, only one out of a million chosen ones can face it when they are ready. It comes before the chosen one is ready. If you aren’t the luckiest chosen one then... that thing will come before you are ready to face it. I can’t hold it for you until you are ready. Don’t ask me about it or more information. I can’t tell you that information."

Kai considered everything. This bat can kill him or anyone Kai knows without any real effort. That god of blood must be much more stronger than the bat. There is no need to lie to him. He might as well help the guy and gain an ally for him. About the thing the god of blood is talking about. He will hold it off until he is ready. That is a good bargain. But first he needs to find out what type of help they wanted.

And for once, he did not want to make an enemy. He would rather make a friend. He glanced back at his companions.

At Azhara drooling on a loaf of bread. At the twins muttering nonsense. Akayoroi murmuring his name in her dreams. Sha, Vel, Naaro, the four injured sisters’ innocent faces. He thinks of Mia, Luna, Miryam and all of his Subroutines.

The fire is still burning despite the logic of reality. He faced reality and asked. "What do you need me to do?"

Batbat’s ears perked. "Oh! Right! The next part!"

He reached into his pouch on his back and pulled out what looked like a glowing beetle inside a cube of light.

Kai squinted. "Is that... a bug?"

"This bug," Batbat said proudly, "is a living map. The first clue to find the path to the void of this world. I want your help to find the path."

Kai sighed. "Of course it is."

"Also it glows in the dark and does backflips." The chubby bat added while adjusting his sunglasses. "My master will tell you how you can help me. I don’t know the method. Master shot your instructions."

The beetle beeped. Kai turned to the bat and said the words that would, once again, change his fate forever.

"All right. Let’s get started. Tell me what to do?"